Vodafone scraps roaming fees in much of Europe

Vodafone has scrapped roaming charges for UK customers in 40 countries, meaning they can use their plans there without additional costs. The EU is expected to abolish roaming charges for its 28 member states in June. Countries in Vodafone's roam-free destinations list include non-EU states such as Norway, Iceland and Turkey. Vodafone rival Three already offers free roaming in 42 countries on advanced plans. "This is a pre-emptive strike, if you like, before the EU regulations kick in," said tech analyst Mark Newman at ConnectivityX. He told the BBC that tightening regulations on roaming charges had "Absolutely hurt" companies such as Vodafone in recent years.